Festival provides chance to explore Chinese and East Asian culture

KALAMAZOO, Mich.—The fourth annual China Festival at Western Michigan University will be held from noon to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7, in WMU's Student Recreation Center.

The annual festival commemorates the tradition of the Chinese Moon Festival, which is celebrated in China in mid-autumn. WMU's event was established to promote Chinese studies programs on campus and to broaden the community's understanding about Chinese culture.

"China Festival is a place for community members to explore Chinese and East Asian Culture," says Dr. Ying Zeng, director of Asian initiatives for WMU's Haenicke Institute for Global Education and festival coordinator. "There is a trend that more and more people—non-Chinese—are interested in Chinese language and culture."

Festival activities and organizers

Admission to the festival as well as parking are free, and for a nominal fee, attendees may sample traditional foods prepared by local restaurants.

The festival is being organized by the Haenicke Institute in collaboration with the Chinese Association of Greater Kalamazoo, Kalamazoo Chinese Academy and Whirlpool Asian Community.

Campus co-sponsors include the Confucius Institute at WMU, Timothy Light Center for Chinese Studies, College of Arts and Sciences, Haworth College of Business, Department of World Languages and Literatures, and Association of Chinese Students and Scholars.

Interest in Chinese language and culture

Although many Chinese families call Kalamazoo home, interest in Chinese culture also comes from the larger community. This community interest has increased the availability of Chinese language and culture classes in the local area.

The Kalamazoo Chinese Academy, for instance, is a nonprofit educational organization that offers classes on Friday nights to area students of all ages. Meanwhile, the Confucius Institute at WMU offers language and culture classes on campus to all members of the community and sends volunteer instructors to teach Mandarin classes in high schools throughout the Kalamazoo Public Schools district.